Grover Cleveland

-22nd and 24th democratic reform President of the United States (1837-1908)
-aka "veto governor"
-had conservative policies
-had illegitimate child
-did not support protective tariffs, but wanted to reduce the tariff rates because DEMOCRAT
-his presidency marked the beginning of the tariff question in election of 1888

protective tariffs

tax on imported goods in order to protect domestic products (or products produced in their home)
-intent was to get ppl to guy home products instead of imported ones
-supported by Republicans, but not by Democrats

Benjamin Harrison

The Grange

-full name: the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry
-1860's - first major farm organization
-founded by Oliver H. Kelley who left the gov. when he saw the isolation and drabness of rural farm life
-not founded for means of protest but instead brought farmers together for community feeling
-desired for the monopolistic railroads to go under gov. control
-pressured state legislatures to regulate businesses on which farmers depended
-made efforts for enterprises like the Montgomery Ward and Co. but they all failed bcuz of the opposition from monopolies!

Farmers' Alliances

-groups of farmers in agrarian protest
-principally concerned with local problems
-formed cooperatives and marketing mechanisms such as stores, banks etc. to free them from dependence on the merchants
-tried to resist oppressive outside forces with a sense of neighborhood/comradory
-alliances notable for role of women

Mary Lease

"raise less corn and more hell"
-fiery Populist orator who gave many lectures, denouncing the money-grubbing government (banks, railroads, and "middlemen") and encouraged farmers to speak their discontent with the economic situation.

People's Party

-aka Populists
-3rd political party created by farmers' organizations (Grange, other alliances)
-demonstrated their power in the election of 1892 with Populist president candidate James B Weaver of Iowa
-consisted mostly of farmers who were engaged in type of farming being oppressed by new, mechanized commercial agriculture
-believed people should influence the political process
-ended upon "fusion" with the Democratic party in the campaign of William Jennings Bryan

Crime of '73

-ended minting of silver dollars and placed the country on the gold standard
-considered a conspiracy by big bankers when Congress stopped the coinage of the silver dollar against the will of the farmers and westerners who wanted unlimited coinage of silver.

"free silver"

"free and unlimited coinage of silver"
-became to them a symbol of liberation
-they saw silver as the "people's money" and gold as the money of oppression
-Major goal of the Populist Party; they did not want just a money system based upon gold.
-believed to be able to relieve working conditions and exploitation of labor (wanted to increase in the quantity of money)

"Cross of Gold" Speech

Currency Act

-1900
-act enacted by the Republicans which confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard by assigning a specific gold value to the dollar
-required all currency issued by the U.S. to hew to that value
REP = gold(conservative) DEM = silver

James G. Blaine

Rutherfords Hayes

-Republican who was the cause of the split of the Republican party into Stalwarts and Halfbreeds
-after him. still managed to keep Republican as president; the 2 factions agreed on James Garfield (Half-Breed - assassinated after trying to defy Stalwarts in his appointments) and Chester Arthur (Stalwart - when president tried to reform! even though Stalwart)

James Weaver

Populist Ideas

-supported system of "subtreasuries" that would replace and strengthen the cooperatives
-desired network of warehouses where farmers could deposit their crops
-called for abolition of national banks because they believed they were dangerous
-direct election of U.S. senators
-wanted regulation and gov ownership of railroads
-graduated income tax
-REJECTED LAISSEZ FAIRE

Panic of 1893

-most severe depression nation ever experienced
-began due to bankruptcy of 2 railroad companies which caused a collapse of the stock market
-then wave of bank failures began
-Panic showed how dependent the economy was on railroads

Coxey's Army

-began with Jacob S. Coxey (Populist) who began advocating a massive public works program to create jobs for the unemployed and an inflation of the currency
-his proposals were ignored by Congress
-in response the Coxey's Army marched to Washington to present their demands
-police arrested them